Sep 11, 2025 4 min read Article

Great Sunday Attendance Doesn't Mean Your Church is Spiritually Healthy

When both elements are present and thriving, you get a community that doesn't just count members—it transforms lives.

What Really Matters in Church Health

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This article is partially based on readings and discussions of portions of Growing and Engaged Church by Albert L. Winseman

Part One , Part Two A, Part Two B

Your church board meets quarterly to review the "vital statistics"—membership rolls, Sunday attendance, and offering totals. Everyone nods approvingly when the numbers tick upward, frowns when they dip. But here's the uncomfortable truth: You might not be measuring the things that really matter.

The Illusion of Easy Metrics

Churches love counting things. It's understandable—numbers are concrete, measurable, and make for tidy PowerPoint presentations. Membership? Check. Attendance? Check. Weekly offering? Double check.

But...does having your name on a membership roll guarantee you're growing spiritually? Of course not. People join churches for all sorts of reasons—social connections, family pressure, or simply because they moved to town and needed somewhere to go on Sundays. Membership can skyrocket or plummet for reasons that have absolutely nothing to do with spiritual health.

How about weekly attendance? It tells us something, to be sure, but not nearly as much as we think. You know who shows up faithfully every Sunday? That's right—not just the committed and engaged folks. There's also Bob, who comes because his wife makes him, teenagers dragged by parents, visitors church-shopping like they're comparing grocery stores, and those who come for no other reason than they feel guilty if they don't show up. There are countless ways to grow an audience that have zero connection to spiritual vitality. Entertainment value, anyone?

And giving? Giving is actually the only one of these three that is a meaningful measure of spiritual health. It's not the whole story, but it's undoubtedly an important part.

The Real Indicators That Matter

So what actually signals a spiritually healthy church? Research has identified four key indicators that cut through the statistical noise: life satisfaction, inviting, serving, and giving.

These aren't just numbers—they're windows into the soul of a congregation.

Life Satisfaction: The Resilience Factor

When people are part of a genuinely healthy church community, something beautiful happens. They develop better coping mechanisms for life's inevitable ups and downs. A spiritually thriving congregation doesn't shield people from problems—it equips them to handle whatever comes their way. This isn't about perpetual happiness or toxic positivity; it's about deep-rooted peace and resilience that comes from authentic spiritual growth.

Inviting: The Ultimate Endorsement

Here's a marketing truth that might surprise you: people don't connect to churches primarily through slick media campaigns, newspaper ads, or those awkward door-to-door visits that make everyone uncomfortable. The most powerful church growth strategy is also the simplest—friends inviting friends. When someone feels confident enough to invite their neighbor, coworker, or college buddy to church, that's not just evangelism. That's a person saying, "This place has been so good for me that I want to share it with people I care about."

Serving: Where Faith Gets Its Hands Dirty

In spiritually healthy congregations, members don't just warm pews—they roll up their sleeves. The research shows that engaged congregants volunteer an average of 2.5 hours of their time to serving others. Real spiritual growth always results in action. Whether it's teaching Sunday school, serving at a food bank, or helping elderly members with yard work, healthy believers naturally look outward.

Giving: Putting Money Where Your Heart Is

While giving alone doesn't tell the whole story, it becomes significant when viewed alongside these other indicators. Engaged members typically give a median of 5% of their annual income. Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also—and when people are genuinely transformed by their church experience, their wallets reflect their values.

But wait...are you thinking that 5% seems low. Doesn't tithing refer to 10%? Yes, that's correct, but current studies indicate that the average giving of regular churchgoers is not more than 3%. Given that little piece of data, 5% (though still a longs ways from 10%) is a noticeable increase.

The Root of the Matter

What creates this kind of spiritual health? It boils down to two interconnected factors: spiritual commitment and congregational engagement. You can't have one without the other.

Spiritual commitment without engagement becomes isolated, self-centered spirituality. Engagement without spiritual commitment turns into social club membership with religious decorations. But when both elements are present and thriving, you get a community that doesn't just count members—it transforms lives.

The Bottom Line

The next time your church leadership gathers to assess "how we're doing," consider asking different questions. Instead of "How many people showed up?" try "How many people are growing in resilience and life satisfaction?" Instead of "Did membership increase?" ask "How many people felt confident enough to invite someone they care about?"

Stop measuring what's easy to count and start measuring what actually counts. Because at the end of the day, a church's true health isn't found in the numbers on a spreadsheet—it's found in the transformed lives sitting in the pews.

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